Manufacture of pessaries



J. F. ,CLARK MANUFACTURE oF PESSARIESv Filed oct. 1, 1946 Dec. Z0, E948.

Patented Dec. 28, 1948 2,457,349 MANUFACTURE or PEssARIEs Joseph F. Clark, Paterson, N. J., assignor, by

direct and mesne assignments, to Durex Products, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application october 1, 1946, serial No. 700,567

3 Claims. 1

What is known in the surgical art as a pessary is a dome-shaped appliance composed of some quite thin elastic flexible material, as latex, which provides the dome, and an annular flexible reinforcing core which goes to form a cushionlike outer rim at the margin of the dome. A cylindrical form having a semi-spherical end being provided, a latex coating is rst deposited, as by dipping, on all that exterior surface of the form which includes said end and the cylindrical part of the form thereto adjoining; anendless flexible elastic core is then positioned in embracing relation to said part and in contact with the margin of the coating remote from said end; and

While the coating still remains tacky the core is rolled, continuously of itself, toward said end and meanwhile the coating is wrapped around the core continuously thereof, such rolling and wrapping being continued until the coreis completely wrapped and has reached the base of the domeshaped part of the coating to form the mentioned rim of the appliance.

It is desirable to impart to the rim a color in contrast to the dome portion of the appliance. In order to accomplish this result it has been proposed to apply color to the coating before the rolling and wrapping steps are performed. But, since the coating, at least at its outer surface, has not yet passed completely to its solid state, the color tends to run or become dispersed uncontrollably in the coating, and this condition is so augmented when the rolling and Wrapping are performed that the color ultimately appears more or less in the dome portion of the appliance, near the rim, instead of being conned wholly to the rim, as intended.

I have overcome this fault, as considerable practice has shown, producing an appliance of the character set forth in which the rim, alone, is distinctively colored. To this end, instead of applying color directly to the coating, I pre-color latex in liquid state and apply such latex in the form of a band to the coating, so that in the Wrapping of the coating said band Will become immured therein. The latex being transparent or at least translucent, the color of the band is apparent in the resulting rim. There is no dispersion of the color to the dome-shaped portion of the appliance. I account for this on the theory that when the colored material to form the band is applied to the coating it is in liquid state, whereas the coating itself, while still tacky, is more or less in solid form, wherefore the color cannot run from the (liquid) band to the (solid) coating. Of course, when the rollingand' wrapping are done the band has set or become more or less solid, thus preventing its dispersion as an incident of the wrapping.

I explain my novel method as follows, havingy Fig. 4 showing the assembly of Fig. '3 with the` mentioned band applied thereto;

Fig. 5 showing the core rolled to its final position; and

Fig. 6 showing the spring of the core before application of the core-coating thereto, partly in full lines and partly in dotted outline and being of dimensions suitable to some actual size of the appliance.

Let l be a generally cylindrical form or moldf having a semi-spherical or dome-shaped end lq., 2 in Figs. l to 3 is the mentioned core. This includes, with the elastic metal coil or spiral spring 3 Whose ends have been joined in any way (not here material) to form the spring annular, some form of core-coating.v This core-coating may be a preformed latex tube slipped over thev spring before it is formed annular or by dipping the spring in liquid latex, either of which is ac-t cording to the usual practice and requires no i1 lustration herein.

Describing the conventional operation Aof forming the appliance regardless of the step by which its rim becomes colored:

The form, inverted, is dipped and thus coated, as at 4, with a thin layer of latex so that the margin 4a of the coating is appreciably further from the base of the semi-spherical dome-end than will be the rim of the ultimate appliance. Whereas the core may conceivably be placed in embracing relation to the form after the latex is applied to the form, as a matter of facility it preferably is so placed before such application of the latex, as shown in Fig. 1. In any case, when the latex coating 4 has suciently set so as to have passed from the liquid to a more or less solid state but is still tacky or adhesiveassumed to be the condition of Fig. 2-the core is rolled on the form toward its dome-shaped end until it contacts (Fig. 3) the margin 4a of coating 4 continuously and its core-coating therefore adheres to such margin. Then the rolling of the core is continued until it assumes the elevation shown by Fig. 5, i. e., its ultimate position in the completely formed appliance.` In this step of the procedure, because coating 4 is still tacky and it initially adheres to the core, it undergoes Wrapping or winding around the core and adheres thereto and its convolutions (usually more than one are formed) adhere to each other, forming on the dome-shaped product a of Fig. 5 a marginal annular cushioning rim b providing a convoluted tubular cushion.

By a brush and, say while the core is in the position of Fig. 3, I apply a thin band 5 of liquid latex, suitably previously colored, to the coating 4 and which band is preferably spaced from the core and from the base of what is to be the domeshaped portion of the ultimate appliance. This is of course done while the coating still remains tacky. Then, while thislatter condition remains and when the coating has set to substantially solid state, the rolling of the core and wrapping thereon of the coating A around the core is continued until the latter attains the position of Fig, 5, the band 5 as an incident of this rolling and Wrapping being finally immured in the wrapped coating. The product is the appliance shown at a-b in Fig. 5, in which a is the domeshaped portion thereof and b is the marginal outer rim therefor, the latter appearing distinctively colored by the band as an incident of the at least translucent nature of the coating.

After the rim has been formed the appliance is vulcanized. When it is removed from the form it has the shape shown by Fig. 5f.

Having thus fully described by invention what Iclaim is:

1. In the forming of an appliance of the class set -forth on a cylindrical form having a substantially semi-spherical end, the method which consists in depositing on all the exterior surface of the form which includes said end and the cylindrical part of the form thereto adjoining a coating of liquid latex which is at least translucent, positioning, in embracing relation to said part and in contact with the margin of the coating remote from said end and while the coating still remains tacky, an endless exible elastic core, depositing on the coating, between said core and end vandremotefrom the latter, a band of colored latex in liquid state, and, `when said band has assumed substantially solid state and said coating still remains tacky, rolling the core continuously of itself toward said end and meanwhile wrapping the coating around the core continuously thereof, and continuing' such rolling and wrapping while the coating still remains tacky and until the portion of the coating which wraps the core contacts that portion of the coating which is between the band and said end of the form.

2. The method of manufacturing a pessary oi the character set forth which comprises, placing a resilient ring in embracing engagement intermediate the ends of an elongate cylindrical form having a semi-spherical end, forming a transparent diaphragm by dipping the semi-spherical end of the form in a suitable solution of liquid latex to a depth slightly spaced from the ring, removing the coated form from the solution, partially setting the coating until the same is tacky, applying a suitable solution of colored liquid latex in the form of a band of predetermined width at a point spaced inwardly from the end edge of the coating While the latter is still tacky, rolling the resilient ring upon the form in a direction toward the semi-spherical end thereof with the ring in contact with the tacky end edge of the coating, continuing the rolling ofthe ring and coating until the ring and colored band are completely wrapped about and covered with the tacky coating, curing the so formed pessary, and then removing the pessary from the form.

3. The method of manufacturing a pessaryof the character set forth which comprises the iollowing steps in the order named: providing an elongate cylindrical form having a semi-spherical end, forming a transparent diaphragm by dipping the semi-spherical end of the form in a suitablesolution of liquid latex to a predetermined depth, removing the coated form from the solution, partially setting the coating until the same is tacky, applying a suitable solution of colored with the ring in contact with the tacky end edge of the coating, continuing the rolling of the ring and coating until the ring and colored band are completely Wrapped about and covered with the tacky coating, curing the so formed pessary, and then removing the pessary from the form.

- JOSEPH F, CLARK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in th file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,371,883 Gammeter et al. Mar. 20, 1945 2,024,539 Schmid Dec. 17,1935 

